Increasing awareness about the potential hazards associated with commercial fertilizers, pesticides and the like used in the growing of food products has led to a concomitant increase in the number of individuals interested in domestically growing bean sprouts. The domestic growing of sprouts also ensures that the food product is fresh. Furthermore, home growing of food products provides an economical advantage over buying commercially grown articles. Also, the mere process of growing domestic products may provide for an enjoyable leisure activity.
Mung beans and alfalfa seeds are examples of food products that can be easily sprouted in a domestic setting. Heretofore, in growing bean sprouts, it has been a practice to grow them in a so called mason type jar. Such mason types jars have a generally cylindrical wall extending from a base wall. The cylindrical wall extends into a neck portion which, in turn, extends into an externally threaded mouth. A screen is threadably or otherwise mounted on the mouth.
Typically, sprouting of the beans or seeds involves positioning the latter within the jar and wetting them with a suitable liquid such as water for a predetermined period of time. Part of the water adheres to the beans or seeds and slowly trickles down to the lowest part of the sprouter forming a pool. Beans immersed in this pool will not sprout. In order to remove the pool the jar must be placed in an inverted position allowing the water to flow out of the jar through the screen while the latter retains the beans or seeds. The germination jar is then preferably positioned with its longitudinal axis at an angle typically substantially in the range of 45.degree. relative to the vertical so as to allow for further dripping of the water as well as the proper air circulation so as to optimize the germination process.
In order to bring about the ability of the sprouter to be placed anywhere in the home without wetting the item it touches a so called drip catcher is typically used in combination with the jar for collecting drippings. The catcher typically consist of an opened top receptacle. Prior art drip catchers suffer from a set of drawbacks. Indeed, some of these prior art structures are not specifically adapted to the geometry of the germination jars and thus the latter are subject to slipping off from the drip catchers leading to the destruction of the container and wastage of the seeds being germinated. Also, some of the prior art drip catchers are not adapted to support the germination jars in an angled configuration relative to the vertical orientation. The germination containers are thus only supported in their inverted configuration during the germination process. In such an inverted position the drippings are not allowed to escape freely from the screen because of the formation of the puddle that seals the rim of the germination container and prevents the entry of air to replace the water that would desirably flow from the container. Still further, some of the prior art drip catchers are not provided with a structure allowing the drop catcher to be readily mounted to frames or vertical structures so as to allow stacking of such drip catchers and their associated jars. Consequently, the drip catchers and their associated jars occupy valuable horizontal supporting surfaces such as table tops.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved supporting structure for germination jars.
Advantages of the present invention include the fact that the proposed supporting structure is specifically configured to as to support conventional germination jars and are thus adapted to prevent the latter from slipping or otherwise falling off potentially causing destruction of the container and wastage of the seeds being germinated.
Also, the proposed supporting structure is specifically configured so as to allow for the germination jars to be supported in both an inverted and angled configuration so as to allow for optimization of the germination process. Furthermore, the proposed structure is adapted to provide a dripping chamber for containing liquid dripping of the germination jars. Still further, the proposed structure is specifically configured so as to be easily hooked to a suitable hooking structure which can be readily attached to a vertical frame or surface. The proposed structure is thus adapted to free valuable horizontal surfaces such as table tops, counter tops or the like.
Still further, the proposed structure is specifically configured so as to be manufactured as an integral structure so as to eliminate the need for assembly during its manufacturing process thus reducing the overall manufacturing cost. The integral configuration is specifically configured so as to be manufacturable through a relatively inexpensive manufacturing process such as thermofing, injection molding or the like.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention there is provided a supporting structure for supporting a jar, the jar having a jar base wall, a jar peripheral wall and defining a jar longitudinal axis, the supporting structure being adapted to be selectively hooked to a hooking protruberance extending from a vertical support surface and abuttingly rested on a horizontal supporting surface, the supporting structure comprising: a base wall, the base wall defining a base wall inner surface and a base wall outer surface; a pair of opposed side walls extending upwardly from the base wall, each of the side walls defining a side wall inner surface, a side wall outer surface, a side wall lower peripheral edge and a side wall upper peripheral edge; a first abutment wall extending substantially upwardly from the base wall, the first abutment wall defining a first abutment wall inner surface, a first abutment wall outer surface, a first abutment wall lower peripheral edge and a first abutment wall upper peripheral edge; a second abutment wall connected to the base wall and positioned opposite the first abutment wall, the second abutment wall defining a second abutment wall inner surface, a second abutment wall outer surface, a second abutment wall upper peripheral edge and a second abutment wall lower peripheral edge; a third abutment extending from the base wall intermediate the first and second abutment walls in a generally parallel relationship relative to the latter, the third abutment wall defining a third abutment wall inner surface, a third abutment wall outer surface, a third abutment wall upper peripheral edge and a third abutment wall lower peripheral edge; the third abutment wall upper peripheral edge being positioned closer to the base wall and then the second abutment wall peripheral edge; the first and second abutment walls being configured, sized and positioned relative to each other so as to cooperate for abuttingly supporting the jar in a jar first position wherein the jar longitudinal axis is in a generally angled relationship relative to the base wall, the second and third abutment walls being configured, sized and positioned relative to each other so as to cooperate for abuttingly supporting the jar in a jar second position wherein the jar longitudinal axis is in a generally perpendicular relationship relative to the base wall.
Preferably, the second abutment wall upper peripheral edge is provided with at least one second wall recess formed therein for abuttingly mating with the jar peripheral wall. Conveniently, the second wall recess has a generally arcuate configuration.
Preferably, the third abutment wall is provided with at least one third wall recess formed therein for abuttingly mating with the jar peripheral wall. Conveniently, the third wall recess has a generally arcuate configuration.
Conveniently, the structure further includes a spacing wall extending between the second abutment wall lower peripheral edge and the third abutment wall upper peripheral edge. Preferably, the spacing wall extend in generally parallel relationship relative to the base wall.
Preferably, the structure further includes a hooking means for allowing the supporting structure to be hooked to the hooking protuberance extending from the vertical supporting surface. Conveniently, the hooking means includes a hooking section, the hooking section defining a hook first spacing segment extending generally outwardly from the first abutment wall peripheral edge; a hook first abutment segment extending downwardly from the hook first spacing segment in a spaced and generally parallel relationship relative to the first abutment wall so as to define a first hook spacing therebetween, the hook first abutment segment defining a first distal edge.
Conveniently, the structure further includes a pair of second side spacing segments extending generally outwardly from the second abutment wall upper peripheral edge and the side wall upper peripheral edges respectively; a hook second abutment segment and a pair of hook side abutment segments extending respectively downwardly from the hook second spacing segments and the hook side spacing segments in a spaced and generally parallel relationship relative respectively to the second abutment wall and the side walls so as to respectively define a second hook spacing and a pair of side hooks spacings therebetween, the hook second abutment segments and the hook side abutment segments defining respectively a hook second distal edge and a pair of hook side distal edges.
Preferably, the first, second and side distal edges are positioned in a common geometrical plane so as to define a resting edge for resting the supporting structure on the horizontal supporting surface. Conveniently, the structure is formed integrally out of a unitary piece of material.
Preferably, the second abutment wall defines a plurality of second wall recesses each abutment recess being configured for abuttingly mating with the jar peripheral wall and the third abutment wall is provided with a plurality of third wall recesses, each of the third wall recesses being configured for abuttingly mating with the jar peripheral wall.
In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a supporting structure for supporting a jar having a jar base wall, a jar peripheral wall and defining a jar longitudinal axis, the supporting structure being adapted to be hooked to a hooking protuberance extending from a vertical supporting surface, the jar being adapted to contain a liquid, the supporting structure comprising: a base wall having a base wall peripheral edge; a peripheral wall extending from the base wall peripheral edge; the base wall and the peripheral wall together defining an open top recess for receiving the liquid pouring out of the jar; the peripheral wall integrally defining an abutment means for selectively supporting the jar in a first and a second jar position wherein the jar longitudinal axis respectively extends perpendicularly and at an angle relative to the base wall.
Preferably, the structure further comprises a releasable anchoring means for releasably anchoring the supporting structure to the hooking protuberance.